I love strombolis and never realized how easy they were to make–even easier than the recipe called for, thanks to a woman in the deli line who suggested using Pillsbury pizza dough crust. She said she made strombolis a lot and preferred Pillsbury over the fresh dough at the grocery store (or making her own).

For those of you who, like me, wondered what the difference was between a Stromboli and a calzone (I only knew that I loved both of them😊) is that a Stromboli is filled and then rolled, and a calzone is filled and then folded. Also, sauce is baked into a Stromboli whereas sauce is served on the side with a calzone.

A third interesting fact—according to tuscaneats.com—is that the calzone originated in Naples, Italy. And the Stromboli? Philly! Some people think it started right outside of Philly in a small town called Essington–in a predominantly Italian neighborhood, of course😊

This recipe is adopted from feastandfarm.com by author Rachel Ballard.

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time 30 minutes
  • Serves: 5

Ingredients

Pizza dough for one crust

¾ cup marinara sauce*

8 slices provolone cheese

¼ pound thinly sliced large pepperoni (small pepperoni is good, too)

¼ pound thinly sliced Genoa or hard salami

¼ pound thinly sliced Virginia or baked ham

Jarred red peppers

½ cup banana pepper rings (optional—chose not to use)

1 egg for egg wash

Cornmeal for dusting your pan—prevents sticking and absorbs some of the moisture

  1. Preheat the over to 400⁰. Grease a cookie sheet and set aside.
  2. Roll the pizza dough until thin.
  3. Layer on the ingredients—the provolone, pepperoni, salami, ham, red peppers/banana peppers.

* I put the marinara sauce directly on the dough, the first time I made this, which made it wet. I may not use the sauce next time, but maybe putting it in the middle of the other ingredients rather than directly on the dough might keep the dough dry and crispy. The red peppers made it a little soggy too, but maybe I needed to pat them better.

  • Roll the dough lengthwise with the ingredients in it. Pinch the ends to seal.
  • Put a dusting of cornmeal on your baking sheet.
  • Place the roll on the cornmeal, seam side down, and brush with egg wash to add shine and a deep golden color.
  • Cut four slits in the top of the Stromboli so the steam can escape.
  • Bake until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Slice and serve.